First Reading: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

FIRST READING: ILLUSTRATIONS – Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

 

During this reading, you will be focusing on the pen and ink illustrations. Older editions of the story are in black and white. A special edition was done in 2009 in which Alexander is in digitally enhanced color.

 

As you look at each illustration, you will be asking the same questions. The purpose of the questions is to look for information in the illustration that the reader can connect to personal knowledge to form predictions. All of these predictions will combine to answer the question “Why did Alexander have such a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?”

 

(Predictions require the reader to announce in advance what is going to happen based on evidence and personal knowledge.)

 

When looking at the each double-page spread as you go through the reading, ask:

 

~Where is Alexander?

~How does he look like he is feeling?

~In this setting, what could happen that would make his day terrible, horrible, no good and very bad?

 

Here are examples of how we take these questions and apply them to the first few pages. Please use these examples to start the conversation with your listener as you go page by page in the first reading.

 

Page 1:

~Where is Alexander? ( It looks like he is in his bedroom.)

~What does the look on his face mean? (My three-year-old grandson said, “He looks mad because he has to clean up his room.”)

~Would that make his day a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day? (“Yes!”)

~Who’s telling us the story? (Alexander)

 

Pages 2-3:

~Where is Alexander? (My grandson said, “In his house.”)

~What does the look on his face mean? (“He’s mad.”)

~Can we predict what could be happening here to make Alexander’s day so bad? (“He doesn’t have any food.”)

 

Repeat these three questions as you move through the book. Now, you have your predictions.

 

The next time we read, we’ll find out if our predictions about Alexander’s day are correct.

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